Straw-dispenser.



D. H. MOSTELLER.

SHAW-DISPENSER.

APPLICATION FILED mm. 1915. RENEWED OCT. 22. 1911.

367,579.. Patented May 28,1918.

I *DOSIER H. MOSTELLER, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.

STRAWeDISP EN SER.

Specification of Lettersfliatent.

Patented MayZS, 1918.

Application filed April .2, 1915, Serial' No. 18,778. Renewed October 22, 1917. Serial No..197,993..

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, DOSIER H. MosTnLLEn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oak Park, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Straw-Dispensers, of which the following is, a specification. i The present invention has reference to certain improvements in straw dispensers of that type in which the straws are carried in a receptacle from which they may be removed one at a time through the upper portion thereof. The main objects of the invention are to facilitate and improve the delivery of the-straws to the discharge opening whence they may be removed by the customer. Also to so construct the lid and opening of'the dispenser that the straws-may be more easily grasped individually and without confusion or interference. v Another object is to so construct the dispenser that thelast straw maybe reached as readily as the first one to be removed, thus making the dispenser of uniform operation and usabilit yOther objects and uses will appearfrom a detailed description of the invention which consists in the features of construction and combinations of partshereinafter described and claimed.

(Referring to the drawings:

Figure '1 shows a side elevation of the straw dispenser, the lower portion of the same being broken into sections so as to show the form' of the -bottom;po-rtion Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the top portion of the dispenser shown in Fig. 1,*the lid being raised for'the delivery of a straw; and

Fig. 3 isa section through thetop portion of Fig. 1 showing the manner in whichthe straws lay toward the front or delivery portion.

Referring to the figures, the body portion 4: is shown as having its upper end tilted forward with respect to its base end 5 so that the straws will normally lie toward the front edge 6. In this way the straws will normally be thrown toward said front edge for delivery thereto.

The top front portion has its edges 7 and 8 slanted down commencing substantially at the central line of the dispenser, and the finger openings 9 and 10 are provided at the extreme front portions of the edges 7 and 8. The upper ends of the straws are thus naturally thrown toward the finger openings 9 and 10.

When the dispenser is first filled the straws will lie in a large body substantially parallel toeach other and will-be to the front portion of the casing. The first straw to be removed will be that one which occupies the extreme front position. As the straws'are removed, one at a time, their upper ends will tilt forward more and more so that the front straw will always lie with its upper end between the finger openings9 and 10. If the bottom of the case were to be perfectlyfiat there would be no tendency for the lower ends of the strawsto slide toward the front, and consequently as the upper ends ofthe rear straws approached nearer and nearer to the finger openings 9 and 10, said straws would lie at a greater and greater angle from the vertical, and the upper end of each succeeding straw-would stand lower than the straws which preceded it. The result would be-that it would either be necessary to make the finger openings 9 and 10 undesirably deep or else it would'be very difficult to secure a firm hold on the'latter straws.

In order to meetthe foregoing objection "I have peculiarly formed the bottom of the case. In the particular construction shown in Fig. 1 the bottom 11 is curvedupwa-rd from front to back substantially on the are of a circle of which the finger openings 9 and 10 are the center. It thus follows that when practically all ofthe straws have been removed the upper ends of the last straws will stand at as great an elevation adjacent to the finger openings 9 and 10 as the elevation atwhich the first straws stood. In addition to'this facttherewill be a natural tendency for the lower ends of the straws to slide or work forward in the casing-on account of the peculiar form of the bottom. WVhile I have shown the bottom as being drawn substantially on the arc of a circle, it will, nevertheless, be understood that substantially the same resultswould be secured if the bottom were to be made flat with its rear portion at a greater elevation than its front portion.

On the top of the casing is mounted a suitable cover. The cover illustrated comprises the rear portion 12 having the flange 13 encircling the upper edge of the rear portion of the case, and the lid 14 which is pivoted to the rear portion 12 of the cover. The lid 1% has the lips 15 and 16 which extend in position to close over the finger openings 9 and 10, there'being a lug 17 on the lower edge of each of said lips. The lips are separated a suflicient distance to leave a slot or opening 18 between them, through which slot or opening the straws may be removed.

With this arrangement the customer slides his thumb and finger upward along the front edge of the case until the thumb and finger come into contact with the lugs 17. Thereupon the lid 1d is raised and the thumb and finger pass through the openings 9 and 10 to grasp the forward straw. As the lifting operation is continued this straw is removed, sliding out through the slot 18 be tween the lips 15 and 16. With this arrangement of parts it is a very simple matter for the customer to withdraw the for ward straw at each operation.

In order to assist. the delivery of the straws to the front of the casing a wire 19 may have its upper ends 20 pivoted to the casing so that its central portion will rest against the upper ends of the straws to throw them forward.

While I haveherein shown and described only a single embodiment of my invention, still it will be understood that I am in no wise restricted to the said embodiment except asl am restricted in the claims.

I claim:

1. A device for dispensing straws or the like, comprising a hollow body portion of cylindrical form, a base member whereon said body portion is mounted, said base.

member being so formed that the body portion tilts forward when the base stands on a horizontal surface, the forward portion ofsaid body having its walls drawn together toiprovide an angular space between them, there being a pair, of notches in the upper adjacent port-ions of said surfaces, the bottom of the receptacle being formed substantially on the arc of a circle drawn about said. notches as a center, and a lid pivotally mounted on the upper portion of the receptacle,said lid being provided with a pair of downwardly depending ears adapted to lay over and close the aforementioned notches when the lid is lowered, lugs on the lower ends of said ears, and there being a notched opening between the ears. I

2A device for dispensing straws or the like, comprising a hollowbody portion of cylindrical formation, a base member whereon said body portion is mounted, said body por-' tion being so positioned on the base member that when the base member stands on a horizontal surface, the body portion tilts forwardly, the forward portion of the interior of the body being angular for the purpose of delivering straws or the like one. at a time to the extreme forward position, there being a pair of notches in the upper portion of the body disposed at opposite sides to the extreme forward position of a straw, and a cover pivot-ally mountd onthe upper portion of thestraw dispenser, said cover hay ing a pair of downwardly depending ears adapted to cover over the aforementioned notches when the cover is lowered, and there being a notched opening between said ears.

3. A'device for dispensing straws or. the like, comprising a hollow body portio'in'a base member whereon said body portion is mounted, said base member being so formed that when it stands on a horizontal surface,

the body portion tilts forwardly, the for ward portion of the body drawing together in such a manner that articles contained in bulk within the body feed one at a time to the extreme forwardmost position, there being a pair of notches in the upper portion of the body disposed at oppositesides to the extreme forwardmost position, and the bottom of the body being formed substantially on the arc of a circle formed on said notches as a center.

DOSIER H. MOSTELLER.

'Witnesses V Tnom'es 0. BANNING, Jn, WM. P. Bonn.

topics at this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the flcnamissioner of EPetenta, Washington, 2h. 63. 

